So the 85th Academy Awards is now a thing of the past. Congratulations to all the winners, especially for the Best Picture winner, Argo. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. Overall not too bad and only a 30 minute overrun.
Like any year, there are highlights and lowlights to the telecast. Here are mine:
THE LOWLIGHTS:
- I thought the Capt. Kirk segment went on way too long but it did yield a highlight of the show (see below).
- If you’re going to celebrate 50 years of James Bond, wouldn’t it be nice to have someone who played 007 appear on stage? The Goldfinger song although at times painful to listen, would have been a great starter to a montage of Bond songs. Get Paul McCartney, get Sheena Easton or Carly Simon and end it with Adele doing the Oscar nominated and winner Skyfall. That would have brought down the house.
- Even though I loved the JAWS theme as a way to make the acceptance speech move along, It was too inconsistent about when to use it and it was at times painfully obvious.
- Unless there was a tragic event like 9/11 or something along those lines, I’ve never been a big fan of mixing politics with any of these award shows. I just don’t see the need for Michele Obama’s appearance. No disrespect but it wasn’t necessary and it only added to an already long show begging to be over.
THE HIGHLIGHTS:
- Seth McFarlane did as good a job as he could given the restraints I’m sure was given to him. As a friend of mine said to me, he was neutered. I think the crowd was too “buttoned up” for him. And his opening song was laugh out loud funny. Besides he made Tommy Lee Jones smile in less than 5 minutes.
- Adele and Jennifer Hudson. Two of the most powerful and beautiful voices in the music industry today. The only thing I would’ve done differently was have Adele anchor the Bond segment. Otherwise fantastic job.
- The cast of Les Miserables. In a word, WOW! Powerful and exciting to see and hear. Even Russell Crowe held his own very nicely.
- After winning the Best Actress award, Jennifer Lawrence had a mishap getting up to the stage. What could’ve easily been a lowlight was saved by a gracious acceptance speech and an embracing crowd.
- And finally, I thought nine year old Quvenzhane Wallis was very much in her element and took it all in as a once in lifetime experience. The smile she had at midnight here on the East Coast was the same that she flashed four hours earlier.
For the record, I was 13-11 with the winners. Until next years Oscars, enjoy the movies and…
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
